Draft rigging



Aug. 30, 1927. R T" KNAPP DRAFT RIGGING Filed Jan. 19, 1924 ,Patented Aug. 30, 19727.

UNITED rvS TAfr1as 1,641,087- PATENT OFFICE.-

RALEIGH T. KNAPP, or ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, AssrGNoE, EYVMESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO THE SYIVLINGTON COMPANY,

A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND.

DEAET intieme.`V

Appnmim';Y med January .19, 1924. serial N6. 687,189. Y

The invention relates to draft rigging for railway cars and more particularly to an improved form of coupler and yoke connection` y The principal object of my invention, generally considered,'is to provide a-connection between the yoke and coupler which will rpermit of relative radial movements between the same and which will at the same ytime afford an adequate .bearing area whereby thev strains imparted to the coupler by draft will. be transmitted to the` yoke in a direct line with vvthe armsthereof. Y Y

Another object of the invention is to provide a ycoupler and yoke connectionV permitting` relative-radial movement, said `connectionbeing formed by integral projections -upon oneof the membersengaging correspondingly formedslotscr recesses in the Vother member, said parts being so arranged Vas to permit the rassembly and disassembly of said yoke and coupler without subjecting Y either of the members to strain.`

VA still further objectof the invention is toprovide an interlocking radial connection between the couplerand `yoke ofa simple and inexpensive type and at thesame time to afford amplebearing varea between the yoke andcoupler so that the Vstrains imposed uponeither` member will be resistedvby the.

other withoutV detriment vto'said connection. l To ,these and other ends, Ytheinvention comprises the various elements andcombination of elementsv as hereinafter set forth. the novel features whereof` are set forth in the appended claims. vvIn the drawings:

- Figure l is atop y.plan view oflal portion spreading the yoke arms.

Throughout thejspeciication and drawings like parts are designated by like refer.-V

ence characters.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 rdesignates .the center or draft sills of arailf' wa car which maybe of channel form, as in icated..V Connected to the inner vertical faces of the sills is shownrtheconventional form of stop members l2 2 and Spf-3, theV formery being located adjacent the end ofy thevcarV (not shown) and are known as the yfront lstops,and the. latter the lrear stops.

It *will be understood that this is merely a conventional showing and 'issimply to illustrate the invention. Bearing against the front StopsfQ is the front followermember 4: and likewisebear.- ing against the lrear stops is the-rear followerA 5; Between the adjacent facesy ofthe Y followers is a cushioning mechanism 6`l of any conventional type, illustrated by Vdot and dash lines The rearend of the coupler shank-8 is preferably provided with acurved or rounded bearing face 9 adapted normally y to engage within acorr'espondingly formed recess 10 in vthe frontY facevof the front fol-v lower 4. VThe coupler is preferably provided with lugs 11 extending vertically therefrom, said lugs being preferably; cylindrical and being each provided with a substantially rectangular vhead 12. ranged with their longer axessubstantially at right angles to the direction of length ofthe coupler fshank and their shorter axesr are coincident with the diameters of the lugs 1l, The curved-face 9 of the couplershank is concentricwiththe lugs 11. Y ,Y A In order to connectthecushioningmechanism 6 to the coupler under draft, I prolvide a yoke member 13. of any desired form except that the forward ends ofthe arms 14 are each extended laterally,`as atl, and are each provided with ajslotA or opening 16 whose forward-end `17 is struck von'an arc concentric with the radius of curvature of i the lugs `l1. As will berobserved, the lfor-v ward ends of the yoke arms Yare increased?. in thickness, as at 18, soas to substantially The heads 12 are arextend the full height ofthe adjacent lug 111. The thickened portions .'18 preferably terminate at a point in line witha plane at right angles to the coupler axis and tangent to the bosses orrlugs 11. p

To permit the engagement and disengagescribed, without'placing strains upon the parts, I form vthe coupler with rounded edges, as shown at 19, and preferably provide a llet or fillets 20 between the thickened portions 18 and the normal width of the yoke arms l4.-

To assemble the coupler and yoke, the,

f' ment of the coupler and yoke above de-` Alil coupler is placed `so that the longitudinal axis thereof is atl right angles to the axis ot the yoke and the coupler is then given a rotation o t V90C from the vertical. The parts are then introduced. as shown in the dotted line position A of Figure 3, and the parts are then rotated into the position B, also shown in dotted lines, and finally into the ttull line position ot this figure. The coupler is then moved bodily longitudinally ot the yoke until the lugs ll are in engagement with the curved surfaces l? ot the slots lo and the coupler is then rotated on the lugs as a center until its longitudinal axis ektends parallel to the longitudinal axis ot the yoke and the parts are iirlnly united. To disassemble the parts the reverse ot the open ation is performed, it bein` understood oit course that the parts are removed 'trom the car as a unit prior to the disassembly. rlChe dotted line position C merely indicates the possibility ot removingthe coupler by a rotation in the opposite direction to that described.

It will be observed that the biturcated portions oi' the yoke arms have a combined area equal to the area of the yoke arms at other points. Hence, the total cross: secA tional area or' the yoke is not ailected by theslots.

ltiaring'now described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by .lietters Patent, is:

l. In a draft rigging, the comliination with a slotted yoke, of a coupler, lugs :lormed thereon and adapted to extend through the said yoke slots, heads on said lugs,` said heads being equal in Width to the said yoke slots, the forward ends of the yoke being thickened Vto extend substantially 'the tullheight oil the cooperating lugs, said thickened portionsgbeing` discontinued rearwardly et the forward ends ot the slots 'to permit the separation of, said yoke and coup- `ler by a plurality of rotations Without spreading ol said yoke arms.

In a dra'tt rigging, the combination with a coupler, oit a slotted yoke, means 'for pivotally connecting; the same, said means comprising' integral lugs toi-med on said couple' and adapted to engage within said yoke slots, said projections being adapted to pass through said slots only when the longitudinal axes of' said yoke and coupler are arranged at au angle to each other and when one oit said members is rotated about its said axis, the arms oil the yoke being decreased in thickness adjacent the rear ends of the slots to facilitate separation of' the yoke and coupler.

2l. ln a drait rigging, the combination with a coupler, ol` a slotted yoke, means lor pivotally connectingl said coupler and yoke, said means comprising oppositely disposed headed lugs formed on said coupler and adapted to engage within said yoke slots, said coupler beinel further provided with rounded edge faces adjacent said lugs, and the inner faces ol the yoke adjacent the rear ends of the slots being' more Widely spaced than adjacent the lront ends thereof, said ings being` adapted to be freely entered and removed trom said yoke only by aplurality of rotations oi said coupler, at least one of said rotations being` about the longitudinal anis thereof.

l. In a draft rigging', the combination with a coupler raving cylindrical headed lugs projectinzgtherefrom, ol' a slotted yoke, said yoke slots beinic;` each adapted to receive one ol the coupler lugs whereby said coupler and yoke are pivotally connected, the crosssectional area oli said yoke arms being at least as great through said slotted portions as in the rear thereof, andineans projecting,r`

inwardly oi said yoke arms adjacent the said slotted portions thereof tor increasingl their bearing` area.

5. lin a draft rigging, the combination with a coupler, ot a slotted yoke, means l'or pirotally connecting saidyoke and coupler, said means comprising headed cylindrical lugs projecting fronrsaid coupler andadapted to pivotally engage the end portions oi' said yoke slots, the heads ol saidlugs being adapted to interloekingly engage said yoke arms in the normal position otsaid yoke `and coupler, the inner faces of the yoke. being more widely spaced toivard the rear ends oi" the slots to facilitate assembly With and separation from the coupler and a 'follower within said yoke, said follower and said coupler having; coope ating bearing surfaces concentric vvith said coupler lugs.

ln testimony whereof I allix my signature.

RALEIGH T. KNAPP. 

